The changes bring ASB and Kiwibank into line with all other major banks.SUPPLIED
Fast changes in wholesale interest rates have seen ASB and Kiwibank become the last of the major bank lenders to hike their longer term fixed home loan rates.
ASB’s increases range between 10 to 20 basis points for loans fixed between 1 and 3 years, while Kiwibank has made adjustments to its 2 to 5 year rates. Both banks have shaved a little off their six month offering.
The changes bring ASB and Kiwibank into line with all other major banks, which have also bumped up rates in recent weeks.
ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley says the switch from talk of cuts to possible interest rate hikes in the Reserve Bank’s latest outlook has compelled markets to adjust pricing.
“We’ve seen for 2 year rates, a good 50 basis point increase in wholesale rates and nearly 60 for the 3 year, since the Reserve Bank’s statement last year, so to date the moves we’ve seen with mortgage rates aren’t really keeping up with that yet.”
Nick Tuffley says all banks are seeing similar impacts on their funding costs, leading them to pass on the increases to borrowers.
“I think the key message for people is that period of really low interest rates, super low interest rates, has gone, but the market’s settling into a reality of the cash rate’s likely to be on hold for most of this year, but we’re past the lows now,”
While tough for borrowers, savers will benefit from higher term deposit rates across the board, with banks looking to attract funding. Term deposit rates beyond the 9 month mark have had a significant adjustment, up anywhere between 5 and 35 basis points.
“Not too long ago, you could get a 2 year mortgage for not less than 4 and 4.5 percent,” says Nick Tuffley.
“Now you can put money on deposit for two years at 4% percent so quite a catch-up.”
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A homicide investigation is underway. (File photo)RNZ / Richard Tindiller
A 24-year-old man has appeared in court charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, after a woman was found dead in a Kāpiti Coast house.
Police were called to the Matatua Rd address in Raumati Beach at 1.15am on Monday.
A homicide investigation was underway, and police were considering further charges against the man.
He appeared in Porirua District Court on Monday afternoon, and was due back in court in early March.
His name was suppressed.
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Wellington’s mayor is hopeful the government will back his calls for an inquiry into the Moa Point sewage plant failure.
Mayor Andrew Little is meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Monday, where the sewage facility will be a focus of conversation.
It flooded last week, destroying much of the plant’s electronics and sending raw sewage into the nearby south coast.
Wellington Water’s chief executive has warned nearby beaches may be shut for months.
Little told Midday Report there was large public interest in the failure, meeting the level of a government inquiry.
“Given the range of parties involved… in order to have a genuinely cohesive, independent review, I think a ministerial inquiry is needed,” Little said.
“That allows the inquiry to have the powers to get the right information and give us an accurate assessment about the causes of the failures.”
Little hopes discussions with Luxon are constructive.
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More AA Insurance customers say they’ve encountered strange changes to their vehicles’ value when their policies renewed.
RNZ reported at the weekend that one woman, Nicki, was upset that the value of her 24-year-old Subaru had increased two-and-a-half times when the policy renewed this year.
AA said it relied on an independent third-party data provider to provide vehicle values. “From time to time, this provider updates their methodology and data sources to ensure the valuations reflect the most accurate and up-to-date market conditions.
“When this happens, customers may see changes, either increases or decreases, in their proposed agreed values at renewal. We encourage customers to get in touch if they would like to discuss their proposed value or agree on a different value with us.”
One man who contacted RNZ said he had a 2003 Subaru Forester insured with AA Insurance that had an agreed value in 2024 of $6500.
“Last year, 2025, AA decided it should be only $2700, a sudden and completely unexpected 58 percent drop in agreed value. I was unable to find any data to support that valuation, complained, and eventually got a helpful staff member who explained that they use a third-party Australian service to value cars. I requested an agreed value of $6000. Fine.
“Now, this year. I have just received an insurance renewal notice with an agreed value of $9900, a whopping 3.67 times the agreed value they pushed one year ago, and, bizarrely, 10 percent more than I paid for the car 11 years ago. Once again I have been completely unable to find any data to support that valuation, and around $6000 to $7000 seems a reasonable agreed value range.”
Another said there seemed to be “something odd” going on.
“I’ve had a 2006 Audi A6 for six years, at the last renewal AA reduced the value of the car to about a third of my estimated value, without highlighting this at the time. I found this underhanded. This meant I was paying about $900 to insure a car for a maximum payout of $1500, with a $500 excess. They refused to raise the value.
“I had the same issue insuring a 2007 Audi A3, they’d only cover it for half what we paid.”
Consumer NZ insurance expert Rebecca Styles said insurers would usually offer the option of either market value or agreed value for car insurance.
“If people aren’t happy with the agreed value, they could shop around.”
She said it could be possible to find another insurer that took a different view.
Financial Services Complaints Ltd, an ombudsman service that deals with complaints that cannot be resolved between financial services providers and customers, has previously said it is important that people read their policies and understand the cover they have.
It has dealt with a number of cases where people have been upset at what insurers were willing to pay for their vehicles.
In one case, a man bought a specialist vehicle that he believed was insured for $39,000.
In late 2023 the vehicle was destroyed and he was upset to find the insurer would only pay $24,000.
He said his insurance broker had not made it clear he only had market value cover. FSCL investigated and said it was hard to see how well this had been disclosed to him.
The brokers offered to pay the difference between the market value of the car and the amount he would have received if it had been insured for agreed value. The policy said this would be market value plus 20 percent, or $4800.
The government says a Liquefied Natural Gas import facility in Taranaki will save New Zealanders about $265 million a year.
Energy Minister Simon Watts on Monday announced a contract was expected to be signed by the middle of the year, with construction finishing next year or early 2028.
A factsheet supplied by the government said the infrastructure costs would be paid for through a levy on electricity of between $2 and $4 /MWh.
The facility was expected to cut future prices by at least $10/MWh, and curb an expected 1.25 percent reduction in Gross Domestic Product from higher energy prices.
While an exact location for the import facility was yet to be determined, all the shortlisted submissions were in Taranaki, Watts said.
Procurement started in October in response to the independent Frontier report, which the government largely rejected.
The report said developing an import facility would make no economic sense if it was used only for firming, when generation is low.
Watts said the government would design an import model bringing in “large shipments only when needed”, and would later become a “fuel source for industrial, commercial and residential users”.
The factsheet said modelling from MBIE had shown the LNG import facility would “effectively cap gas prices”.
MBIE also modelled four other options for cost, timeliness, impact on energy prices, flexibility and wider impacts – but LNG imports were found to achieve lower electricity prices at relatively low capital cost.
Options modelled included a new thermal generation plant to run on coal or biomass; a combination of new and converted ‘peaking’ plant, that would run on diesel; a combination of a new unit at the Huntly power station, new and converted peaking plants, and a demand response; or a combination of LNG importation and refurbishing the Taranaki Combined Cycle plant.
“Other options, including renewable projects, were considered but not advanced due to a range of factors such as expected time to construct, feasibility of generating power reliably on the required scale, and effects on electricity market incentives.”
How did we get here?
Luxon in August 2024 said New Zealand was in an “energy security crisis”, with Winstone and Oji Fibre mills blaming power prices as they began consulting on closures, and NZ First’s Shane Jones accused the gen-tailers of profiteering.
He announced “urgent” actions including an independent review of the sector and removing regulatory barriers for an LNG import facility, which Cabinet agreed to consent.
At that time, a timeframe of winter 2026 was expected.
“It would make no economic sense to develop an LNG import terminal to meet just dry year risk as the large fixed costs would be spread over a relatively small amount of output,” the Frontier report said.
“If an LNG terminal is contemplated as a last resort to provide NZ with a secure energy system, this should be considered as part of a wider gas supply strategy for communities and industrial users where gas is the most economic source of energy.”
Energy Minister Simon Watts at the time said the government would begin procurement the following week and expected to have the facility up and running by winter 2027.
An earlier report in July for the four major gen-tailers Contact, Meridian, Genesis and Mercury – as well as gas company Clarus – found it could take three to four years to set up an import facility at costs ranging from $200m to $1b.
RNZ In-Depth’s Kirsty Johnston in November reported the response from “almost every corner – other than the gas industry itself – was a collective groan”, with sector commentators calling it a “band-aid” solution that “doesn’t make logical sense”.
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Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, delivering his hits on one of the world’s biggest stages – and becoming the first-ever halftime show headliner to sing only in Spanish.
Anticipation was high for the 31-year-old’s set, amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration in front of tens of millions of viewers.
They also said it was “incredibly frustrating” given the bylaw restrictions on people under 15 driving boats.
The harbourmaster said they talked to the owner of the boat about the age limit and asked for an incident report.
“After consideration, the harbourmaster did not issue an infringement to the operator of the vessel (14-year-old). The harbourmaster took an educational approach and gave a warning.”
The rescue was marked by police first cancelling a chopper that was good to go, then almost half an hour later – after volunteer firefighters had motored out to look at the burning boat – calling it in to find the boy who had floated at least a kilometre away.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer in International Studies in the School of Society and Culture, Adelaide University
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has delivered her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections she called shortly after taking office.
Now that she has consolidated her power in Japan’s legislature (called the Diet), the big question is what she will do with it.
Since her ascent to the prime ministership in a parliamentary vote in October, the ultra conservative Takaichi has upended the normally staid Japanese political system.
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the drums together.
Takaichi has cannily taken advantage of the honeymoon phase of her leadership by calling a snap election to gain more power in the Diet before there’s a dip in her popularity.
However, voters will now expect to see a return on their investment, and Takaichi faces the much more daunting task of delivering on her promises. Improving living standards in a country with a rapidly shrinking workforce and ageing population without mass immigration will test her political skills much more than winning an election.
An unlikely election victory
Although Takaichi’s LDP has been in government for most of Japan’s post-war history, it has recently experienced a string of poor election results.
In 2024, it lost the lower house majority it held with its then-coalition partner, Komeito, after a series of corruption scandals. Then, last year, the coalition lost its majority in the upper house, leaving the government hanging by a thread.
The party began its remarkable turnaround following then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation in September in the wake of those electoral setbacks.
Many pre-election polls predicted a sizeable victory for the LDP and its new coalition partner, Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party). Takaichi also received a boost with an endorsement from US President Donald Trump. Although the Japanese public views Trump unfavourably, they also know the US is their ultimate security guarantor against China, in addition to Japan’s largest export destination.
Nevertheless, there were some doubts about whether Takaichi’s popularity, particularly among younger voters, would translate into votes.
In the end, her electoral gold dust rubbed off on the rest of her party. Despite freezing temperatures and record snow in places, the LDP has been comfortably returned to office with a vastly increased majority in the lower house. The coalition now has a two-thirds super-majority, which means she can override the upper house to push through her legislative agenda.
A more assertive posture on China?
Since becoming prime minister, the hawkish Takaichi has taken an assertive position towards China.
In November, she angered Beijing by saying Japan could intervene militarily to help protect Taiwan in the face of a potential Chinese invasion. This resulted in vicious Chinese attacks on Takaichi that continued into the new year.
While the Japanese public is divided over whether to come to Taiwan’s aid in any conflict with China, there is now strong support for Takaichi’s pledge to increase the defence budget to 2% of GDP by this March, two years ahead of schedule.
In December, the Cabinet approved a 9.4% increase in defence spending to achieve this objective, focusing on domestic production and advanced capabilities (cyber, space, long-range strikes).
In response to rising threats from China, North Korea and Russia, Takaichi’s government also plans to revise Japan’s core security and defence strategies this year.
Economic woes front and centre
As much as defence matters, Takaichi will ultimately be judged by the public when it comes to economic policy.
The public is increasingly concerned about rising inflation and stagnant wages leading to falling living standards.
A vivid illustration of this: the price of rice has doubled since 2024, hitting a new high last month. Public anger over rising rice prices even brought down the farm minister last year.
Inflation has been above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for 45 straight months. And though nominal wages have recently picked up, real incomes have been decreasing for the last four years.
Takaichi has made tackling the cost of living a priority. She has vowed to suspend Japan’s 8% food tax for two years. And last year, her government announced a massive US$135 billion (A$192 billion) stimulus package, including subsidies for electricity and gas bills.
However, these policies will increase the government’s budget deficit, adding to the country’s already sky-high public debt levels.
And last month, Japanese government bond prices collapsed after Takaichi called the election, with the markets predicting a LDP win would result in looser fiscal policy and higher government debt.
The Bank of Japan is unlikely to intervene to support the bond market in any future crisis, which will leave the government with higher borrowing costs, further increasing public debt.
It is too early to know whether Takaichi has the answers to these challenges. But she now has the power, authority and freedom to boldly pursue her policy agenda. Now she will need to deliver the kind of change the electorate expects.
Adam Simpson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 9, 2026.
Forget grand plans. These small tweaks can add meaning to your life Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Mazzucchelli, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Curtin University Quốc Bảo/Pexels The start of the year often comes with attempts at big life changes that we’re hoping will make us feel more grounded, fulfilled or in control. Maybe you’ve decided it’s time to change careers, move overseas
Rebuilding after a disaster is a long road. Lismore’s businesses offer hope for others Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Etheridge, Director, The Living Lab Northern Rivers, Office of Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Education Impact), Southern Cross University “Right – flood’s on. Get ready.” That’s what Jody Cheetham has told her staff the last two times she’s watched the river rising, following after heavy rain
‘I wish I could fall asleep and never wake up’: even passive suicidal thoughts are a worry. Here’s how to respond Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maddison Crethar, PhD Candidate, Youth Mental Health, University of the Sunshine Coast Rian A. Saputro/Unsplash Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15 to 49. Approximately one in eight Australians have seriously considered suicide. These numbers highlight why it’s crucial to understand the different
Outcry on Saipan after ‘Free Palestine’ mural vandalised – arrest made By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent More than 11,000 km separate the Northern Mariana Islands from Gaza and Israel. But the conflict has landed sharply on Saipan after the vandalism of a “Free Palestine” mural has sparked community anger, an arrest, and a wider debate over free speech, protest, and
Why are new tea towels worse at drying dishes than older ones? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Van Amber, Senior Lecturer in Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University Anna Shvets/Pexels There’s a peculiar ritual in many kitchens: reaching past the crisp, pristine tea towel hanging on the oven door to grab the threadbare, slightly greying one shoved in the drawer. We all know that
Landslides are NZ’s deadliest natural hazard. Why does it still tolerate the risk? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Robinson, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, University of Canterbury New Zealand Herald/Dean Purcell/Getty Images The recent deaths of eight people in two New Zealand landslides has left the public searching for answers. Some questions will be technical, about what failed and why. But one should surely
One Nation surges to new high as Coalition slumps to record low in latest Newspoll Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Newspoll, Redbridge and Morgan polls all have One Nation second behind Labor, with the Coalition third. However, there are no Labor vs One Nation two-party estimates. A
More Australians are international sports fans, especially the NFL. Are local leagues threatened? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Professor, Deakin University Australian sport fans have long shown interest in international leagues. Australian fans watch and stream the United States’ National Basketball Association (NBA) games at one of the highest rates outside of North America. When it comes to the US’ National Football League
Is Australia’s terrorism definition still fit for purpose? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keiran Hardy, Associate Professor, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University With the alleged attempted bombing at Perth’s Invasion Day protest now declared a terrorist act, the release of coronial findings into the Bondi Westfield stabbing, and ever-growing fears around hate crime and extremism, there’s a difficult question to
Why scrapping a key health promotion agency makes little economic sense Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaithri Ananthapavan, Associate Professor in Health Economics, Deakin University Mariusz Zając/Pexels News the world’s first independent health promotion agency – Australia’s own VicHealth – is to be abolished has been called “incomprehensible” and “a disaster” that places democracy at risk. VicHealth is the agency that’s been behind
Big bills, ‘fur babies’ and administering a good death: reflecting on ethics in veterinary medicine Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Coghlan, Senior Lecturer in Digital Ethics; Deputy Director, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, The University of Melbourne Mikhail Nilov/Pexels Vets are regularly accused of various failures: overcharging clients, neglecting patient care, and rushing pets and owners through appointments. Criticism can also come from vets themselves.
Worried AI means you won’t get a job when you graduate? Here’s what the research says Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lukasz Swiatek, Lecturer, School of Arts and Media, UNSW Sydney August De Richelieu/ Pexels The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has warned young people will suffer the most as an AI “tsunami” wipes out many entry-level roles in coming years. Tasks that are eliminated
How cutting the capital gains tax discount could help rebalance the housing market Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jago Dodson, Professor of Urban Policy and Director, Urban Futures Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University Capital gains tax is once again the subject of parliamentary debate, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers declining to rule out options for reform. Along with negative gearing, the capital gains tax discount has
How watching videos of ICE violence affects our mental health Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa Hjorth, Professor of Mobile Media and Games., RMIT University The recent murders of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good are drawing renewed attention to the activities of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. While they are not the only people to have
Troops without a seat – the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ and Fiji COMMENTARY: By Jim Sanday When peace is being designed, Fiji is not invited into the room. When peace needs enforcing, Fiji is asked to send soldiers. That uncomfortable reality is exposed by the emergence of US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza. While New Zealand was formally invited to join the Board
View from The Hill: will disastrous Newspoll trigger Taylor challenge to Ley, despite Coalition patch-up? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Sussan Ley and David Littleproud on Sunday announced an 11th hour patch up of the federal Coalition that the Liberal leader hopes will hold off an early challenge from Angus Taylor. But on Sunday night it was doubtful whether re-forming
Herzog’s visit to Australia builds conflict not social cohesion By Wendy Bacon On the eve of his Australian tour, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog faces huge opposition to his visit. In a “National Day of Protest”, hundreds of thousands are expected to march in 30 cities around Australia, including every state capital city tomorrow evening. Herzog’s visit has been opposed by Green Party and several
The start of the year often comes with attempts at big life changes that we’re hoping will make us feel more grounded, fulfilled or in control. Maybe you’ve decided it’s time to change careers, move overseas or run a marathon.
But lasting meaning rarely comes from dramatic reinvention. It’s shaped by what we do, consistently. Behavioural science tells us meaning is constructed one reinforcing action at a time.
In other words, meaning isn’t something you discover after a long search. It’s something you build, one small, worthwhile action after the other.
So how exactly does all this work? And what types of worthwhile actions are we talking about?
The meaning of meaning
In psychology, “meaning” refers to the sense that life is coherent, purposeful and connected to what you care about.
People who experience more meaning tend to report better wellbeing, lower stress and depression, and greater resilience when life becomes difficult.
When meaning is low, people can feel unanchored or adrift, even if nothing is going objectively “wrong”.
Life tends to feel meaningful when we spend time doing things that matter to us and that offer some sense of reward. This is not necessarily excitement, but a quiet feeling of “that was worth doing”. Helping a friend, learning something small, progressing a task, or sharing a moment of connection can all leave us more grounded and alive.
These experiences are examples of positive reinforcement – behaviours that give something back, such as energy, pride, satisfaction or connection. Over time, these small rewards strengthen the patterns that help life feel purposeful.
By contrast, when we mainly act to avoid discomfort – cancel plans, withdraw when anxious or overwhelmed, delay tasks that matter – we get a moment of relief, but lose access to the experiences that enrich life.
A more helpful pattern is to take small steps even when motivation is low. Sending the message, starting the job or stepping outside are small beginnings that often spark the satisfaction or hope we were waiting for.
Why one-off boosts don’t last
The hedonic treadmill helps explain why one-off, feel-good moments rarely create lasting meaning. Psychologists use this term to describe our tendency to quickly return to our usual emotional baseline after positive events.
We adapt quickly to pleasurable things and events: buying something new, ticking off a goal, going on a short holiday. A burnt-out worker might feel better after a weekend away, but the effect fades as soon as Monday returns.
Special moments are still valuable. They create memories and punctuate the year. But they don’t change our lives unless paired with small, consistent shifts in everyday routines, setting boundaries, and the ways we invest in our relationships.
Wellbeing is more stable when supported by a range of small, ongoing sources of reinforcement. If all your sense of purpose rests on work, one relationship, or a single pursuit – like sport – then stress in that single area can shake your wellbeing.
But when meaning draws on several domains – friendships, learning, creativity, physical activity, contribution, family, nature, spirituality – you have more points of stability.
The encouraging part is meaning doesn’t depend on perfect motivation or major life changes. It’s shaped by small behaviours you can start at any time.
So what actually works?
These three research-backed steps can help build more meaning into your life.
1. Look back before moving forward
Before setting goals, reflect on the previous year. Ask:
what am I proud of or grateful for?
what lifted my energy or sense of purpose?
what drained it?
what did I avoid that actually mattered?
This helps you recognise which behaviours, relationships and routines quietly sustained you, and where your portfolio may have become too narrow.
2. Pick two or three areas that matter to you
Meaningful change rarely comes from grand resolutions. A steadier approach is to choose two or three life areas that matter – improving health, deepening a relationship, learning something new, contributing to community life, or strengthening parenting routines – and identify one small, realistic action in each. The aim isn’t to overhaul everything, but to gently broaden your sources of reward.
Schedule only the first step: a short walk, reading a page, sending a message, writing a paragraph, practising for five minutes. Early on, the greatest achievement is simply starting, no matter how small.
Be kind to yourself. Illness, stress, fatigue and competing demands will disrupt your plans. What matters is returning, gently and repeatedly, to the behaviours that reflect who you want to be.
3. Arrange your environment so the right behaviours are easy
Use cues to help you start. Lay out walking clothes the night before, keep your journal on your pillow, put reminders where you’ll see them.
Reduce friction. Keep essentials in predictable places, move distractions out of sight and maintain a workable space. The goal is to make meaningful behaviour smooth and frustration-free.
Anchor new habits to old ones:
read a page before your morning coffee
stretch before checking emails
journal for three minutes before brushing your teeth.
These pairings shift the burden from willpower onto routine.
Trevor Mazzucchelli has received funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council, and is a member of the Parenting and Family Research Alliance. His perspective is informed by his academic work as a clinical psychologist and researcher specialising in behaviour change, wellbeing and parenting. He has no financial conflicts related to this article and does not endorse any specific program, product or organisation.
The new International Convention Centre. (File photo)New Zealand International Convention Centre
Construction of the Convention Centre began back in 2015 and was initially supposed to take 38 months, but had been plagued by a budget blow-out and legal wrangling.
“We’ve been waiting for such a long time. [Convention centres] are hard to make money out of.
“I understand it’s booked up pretty well, so it will bring in conventions and it will be part of the tourist offering. But that whole tourist thing is a bit of a question for us.”
The New Zealand leg of SailGP also returned to the waters of Waitematā Harbour this weekend.
Brown told Morning Report both events were a positive for the supercity.
“Those are two good things on this week, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It’s a big year really when you think about it.
“The Polo finals and the Blues and Chiefs are playing shortly. There’s a lot of sport,” he said.
Another long overdue milestone, the City Rail Link was also due to be completed later this year.
The Ocean Race, formerly known as the Round the World Race, was scheduled to return to the City of Sails in 2027.
Brown wasted no time pointing to the small matter of the Election, another major event pertinent to Auckland residents, he said.
“If you don’t win Auckland, you don’t get to be the government.”
“The government can’t bring itself to do that yet, so that they’re raiding tourists at the border. And then central government will tell us how we spend on things, which is something we don’t like.
“All these big events want some money up front. And if we have the bed night levy we will have the money up front.”
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston, said a bed tax was not something she was pursuing this term.
“Our government has already announced a number of initiatives to boost tourism and events across New Zealand and in Auckland, including our $70 million major events and tourism package and a regional tourism boost announcement which invests in campaigns to market New Zealand (and Auckland) to overseas visitors.”
Upston said the government was firmly focused on growing the economy, including the Auckland economy, and tourism and major events remained integral to that.
“I recognise there’s been an interest in bed tax and am also aware of Wayne Brown’s recent comments.”
In response to Auckland’s lagging economy and high unemployment rate, the mayor said “it had its own ideas”.
Council-led initiatives such as the Auckland Innovation & Technology Alliance showed the council was better suited than the government in driving investment into the city, Brown said.
“Economic development; we’ve decided that council will lead this, because the government doesn’t quite know how to do that.”
When asked if he felt the government had dropped the ball, he replied “they hadn’t didn’t pick it up”.
“They’re not quite sure where it is/ There’s a lot we can do ourselves as well. Instead of them initiating things, we just want them to help with what we’re going to initiate.
“There’s too much centralised decision making in this country.”
Minister for Auckland, Simeon Brown said the government was focused on rebuilding the economy and Auckland was central to that.
“That’s why we’re fast-tracking major infrastructure like the $200 million Port of Auckland extension and incentivising business investment through Investment Boost and our Going for Growth agenda.
“The opening of the International Convention Centre and the City Rail Link later this year will further lift jobs and economic activity.”
Simeon Brown said business confidence in Auckland was at its highest in over a decade.
“GDP is up 12.1 per cent on 2019, labour force participation is 72.8 per cent, and CBD office vacancies have fallen for the first time since 2022 – a clear sign businesses are backing the city again.
The Mayor and Auckland Council would be wise to focus on keeping costs down for Aucklanders.”
Supporting a rates cap last week would have been a good first step, Simeon Brown added.
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Police said the money was likely the proceeds of crime. (File photo)Unsplash
People will be discouraged from doing the right thing if a Christchurch couple who found more than $200,000 in the ceiling of their house do not get to keep any of the money, a court has heard.
The couple, whose names are suppressed, found the mystery money sealed in plastic bricks tucked in insulation at their property in 2021.
They reported the cash to the police who said the money should be forfeited because it was the proceeds of crime, probably from drug dealing.
At a High Court hearing on Monday, the couple’s lawyer Mike Lennard said they should keep the money because they had no part in any criminal activity and withholding the cash would discourage other people reporting similar finds to police.
“It will send a message to people in my client’s position, don’t cooperate with the police, don’t tell the police, just spend it. Just pay cash for your groceries for the next few years,” he said.
Lennard told the court homeowners get the “good and the bad” when they buy a house.
He said the Proceeds of Crime Act had a number of aims, including deterring criminal activity, but his clients had not broken the law.
Police lawyer Klaudia Courteney said the money was tainted by criminal activity and should therefore be forfeited to the Crown.
She said the case differed to occasions when someone found a wallet in the street, handed it in and later received the money if it remained unclaimed.
Courteney said the couple were immediately concerned the cash was a result of criminal activity and reported it to the police because of safety concerns.
“They weren’t just being good citizens. They were very concerned that it involved criminal activity and they were worried about who might turn up,” she said.
Courteney said police searched the property and installed security alarms because of the safety concerns and changed access to the attic so it was no longer accessible from the outside.
She said it was clear the couple thought the money was from criminal activity and therefore tainted.
Justice Osborne observed in a number of other countries when people had found drug money a percentage of the cash could be returned to them.
If the couple had not handed the money in then the police would have nothing, he said.
“It seems to me odd for the commissioner (of police) to take the position of an absolute no, there is no opportunity for relief, when there is a real public good here,” he said.
Justice Osborne reserved his decision.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Etheridge, Director, The Living Lab Northern Rivers, Office of Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Education Impact), Southern Cross University
“Right – flood’s on. Get ready.” That’s what Jody Cheetham has told her staff the last two times she’s watched the river rising, following after heavy rain in Lismore in northern New South Wales.
In February and March 2022, record rain and floods inundated Lismore, killing five people.
The floods caused major damage to 1,400 homes, 656 commercial and industrial properties, schools, sewer and water treatment facilities. Three out of four businesses were hit.
Cheetham is the chief executive of Multitask, a local disability services provider. Like so many in Lismore, home to 44,000 people, Multitask lost “absolutely everything” in those floods. But they and others in Lismore now have plans in place to stop that happening again.
As communities across Australia rebuild from a summer of fires, heatwaves and floods, we need more examples of how small businesses and communities can recover.
That’s why we spent the past year working on (Not) Business as Usual, a new report and video case studies being launched today. They capture how Lismore is preparing for the next time disaster strikes.
Trial and error over years
One of the lessons from our research is that recovering from a disaster isn’t perfect or fast. Even when you think you’re prepared, you have to learn through trial and error.
That’s been true for Cheetham and her team at Multitask, who have had two practice evacuations of their five buildings in the centre of town since 2022.
“The first one wasn’t that good. We didn’t have the equipment, didn’t have the boxes, so the trial runs have been really important,” Cheetham says.
Multitask has also looked at practical steps to make any future flood recovery faster, easier and cheaper.
For example, after having to deal with mud-caked, flood-damaged facilities in 2022, they’ve stripped back their building interiors to more easily cleanable materials, such as a stainless steel kitchen. They’ve also moved electrical power points above flood level.
Different versions of what Multitask has done can be seen as you walk around Lismore today, from the local library to a furniture business to the region’s music conservatorium. It’s rebuilt with fully waterproof walls and a new goods lift, so even its biggest instruments, such as pianos, can be moved to higher floors.
Rebuilding for the next flood
“We can’t eliminate the risk, but we can minimise the impact,” says Bruce Parry, Summerland Bank’s community and sustainability manager.
The bank was founded in 1964 in the Northern Rivers as a customer-owned bank. It made an early commitment to rebuild in Lismore. But it’s done so with the lessons of the 2022 floods in mind.
“You can’t hold the flood out, the water is going to get in. It’s what you do when that happens that is important,” Parry explains. “We’ve done a lot to make sure the materials we have used can either be removed, or can go under the water, under the flood, and then hosed out.”
Repeating past mistakes is costly
Beyond what businesses can do to recover on their own, our project also sought to find out what infrastructure improvements would minimise future flood impacts in Lismore.
After talking to around 40 business and service organisations, their number one priority was needing electricity to get back to work.
Damage to electricity networks hits communications, electronic payment systems, storage and distribution of perishables, water supply, sewerage, and transport.
Business leaders were frustrated it took six weeks in 2022 to get power restored to the central business district.
They were even more frustrated that the overhead poles and wires delivering electricity into their shops – all run from centralised power supplies, many of which were knocked out by flood debris further away – were rebuilt exactly the same way.
Their message to government and electricity providers is simple: with the power back on, we can get on with business. So why aren’t you making sure our power supply is more resilient than before?
But small businesses shouldn’t have to go it alone. Becoming more resilient to power outages during a disaster is best done at a community scale.
This challenge and other ideas we discussed – such as building storage and temporary business operations on higher ground – are resource intensive. It’s helped having Lismore City Council and NSW Reconstruction Authority staff at the table for these conversations, as those solutions would require government support.
Our report and video case studies will be released at a flood plan workshop hosted by Business Lismore today. Events such as this represent the latest incarnation of something we need more than ever: sharing local knowledge and experience for others to learn from.
Dan Etheridge receives funding from the NSW Reconstruction Authority to support projects through Living Lab Northern Rivers related to recovery and reconstruction from the 2022 floods and ongoing disaster adaptation. The work of LLNR explored in this article was funded by a private foundation.
Caitlin McGee receives funding from various governments for research projects related to climate resilience, and received a grant from the Energy Consumers Association in 2022 to develop an energy resilience toolkit for communities.
The Media Council has found that four complaints against RNZ did not have sufficient grounds to proceed.
In the first, the chief executive of United Flower Growers, Pete Brown, complained about the article Auckland florists say industry ‘in shambles’, plagued by resentment, published on September 15, 2025. The story reported florists facing difficulties relating to the state of the economy and a raft of changes made by their key supplier, United Flower Growers.
The article was based on comment from five florists, and included responses from Brown on behalf of UFG.
The Council noted that a feature of this complaint was Brown’s concern about RNZ’s decision to grant anonymity to the florists. He challenged that on the basis that two florists spoken to by RNZ had told him they were prepared to be named. This was disputed by RNZ.
The Council said it was in no position to consider this issue as it had no information to establish with any certainty what the florists and reporter agreed to. “Besides, the granting of anonymity in these circumstances is a matter of editorial discretion. That is appropriate and not a matter for second guessing by the Media Council.”
Beyond that the Council was not convinced there was sufficient foundation for complaint about this article. The complainant cited Principles (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance but there was no evidence that the article was inaccurate. As for fairness and balance, Brown was given the opportunity to respond and key points made by him were reported, albeit at the tail of the article.
“This sort of investigative reporting is supported by the Council,” the judgment said.
***
In the second case, Martin Broadbent complained about a series of articles published between November 17 to November 22, 2025, on the problems caused by feral cats and the decision to allow them to be targeted as predators.
Broadbent complained that RNZ’s reporting on feral cats and Predator Free 2050 blurred the legal distinction between feral and stray cats, thereby misleading the public and undermining animal welfare protections under the law.
RNZ firmly rejected the suggestion that it was blurring the categories. The term feral was widely used and was included in Predator Free 2050’s list of species. It argued the first story in the series clearly explained the difference between companion, feral and stray cats.
The Council agreed the first article spelt out precisely how feral and stray cats were defined and two other stories in the series also defined the word feral to make it clear they are not referring to strays. On that basis it saw nothing to support a claim that this was of “an orchestrated blurring of categories that misleads the public into believing all unowned cats are “feral” and subject to lethal control.”
The Council ruled there was nothing to show the reporting breached Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance.
***
In the third case, RNZ published an article on November 23, 2025, titled Israeli airstrikes kill at least 20 people in Gaza, local medics say. This was a Reuters news agency report and was based on information provided by medics and witnesses to the airstrikes. It also included comment from the Israeli military and Hamas, who accused each other of violating a truce which was agreed to six weeks earlier.
Eric Mattlin complained that the story breached Media Council Principles (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance; (4) Comment and Fact; and (7) Discrimination and Diversity. He argued: “The article demonstrates a pattern of asymmetrical attribution with uncritical adoption of Israeli military claims, and a lack of context that affected how readers understood the events being reported. This article concerns an ongoing and highly controversial international conflict involving profound power asymmetries. While balance does not require false equivalence, it does require that significant perspectives and relevant context be included.”
In response, RNZ rejected the complaint and sent Mr Mattlin its language guide to the Middle East Conflict, which explained why it used such terms as ‘militant’ and ‘hostage-prisoner’. It added that RNZ had broadcast and published hundreds of pieces over the past two years, providing a wide range of views and the historical context behind the conflict.
The Council noted that RNZ and all other major New Zealand news outlets rely on international news agencies for most of their world news. Agencies like Reuters report for a wide and diverse international audience which requires coverage to be even handed.
The Council considered this story to be a fairly typical news report from Gaza. In accordance with standard journalistic practice it identified where information was obtained, and comment about the alleged ceasefire breaches was attributed to the Israeli military and Hamas. It also provided brief background on how the Gaza war started two years earlier.
Dealing with the complaint about terminology, the Council refered back to its decision on Mr Mattlin’s earlier complaint (No.3725) which stated: “The Council notes RNZ and other New Zealand media outlets are reliant on overseas news agencies for their coverage of the conflict, and it would be risky or possibly even a breach of RNZ’s agreement with those agencies to change the terminology used.”
The Council noted the story cited in this latest complaint was one of many that have been published on the Gaza War. “This is a long and complex story which has been reported extensively, and it is impractical to expect every report to cover all the context and background. It is clear that balance has been provided over time.”
The Council saw no evidence of bias or that the coverage and terminology was unfair or asymmetrical.
***
In the fourth case, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) published an article on December 22, 2025, Winston Peters makes u-turn on Chorus debt sell-off. The story was about the NZ First leader Winston Peters reversing his previous opposition to the Chorus debt sell-off, which in turn would clear the way for the Government to proceed with a plan to sell about $650m in interest-free loans that Chorus owes the government.
Hector O’Brien complained that the comment – “The Government does not have an (equity) stake in Chorus” – was factually incorrect as the Government-owned holding company National Infrastructure Funding and Finance Ltd had around 61.6 percent of shares in Chorus.
RNZ said the article was correct. The Government did not have an equity stake in this privately owned company. However, it was owed debt by Chorus, more specifically Ultra-Fast Broadband securities. It said the word “stake” had been used in a previous report, but this was updated in this story to make it clear that the Government had no equity or ownership in Chorus.
The Council noted that the line was taken directly from the December 17 press statement in which Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said: “It is important to note the government does not have an equity stake in Chorus and the securities involved are not ordinary shares.”
It further noted that NIFFCO is not listed as a major Chorus shareholder. Rather, it is shown through official documents and ministerial statements that the company was used to provide Government loan finance to Chorus.
In the circumstances no inaccuracy was shown, nor any unfairness.
Former St Bede’s College Friar Rowan Donoghue arrives at the Christchurch District Court for an appearance on January 28.Nathan McKinnon / RNZ
A man who was sexually abused by a priest says he’s “appalled” police were not notified the priest had admitted abuse to leaders of his religious order nearly 20 years ago.
He said he expected authorities to be told of all other members of the order who admitted child sex offences.
RNZ earlier revealed Fr Rowan Donoghue had admitted six charges including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
The offending related to four boys who were boarding at St Bede’s College in Christchurch between 1996 and 2000.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
In response to questions by RNZ, a Society of Mary spokesperson said a complaint alleging offending by Donoghue was received by the priest via an anonymous Hotmail account in October 2007.
“He advised Society of Mary administration and in a conversation with leaders of the Society of Mary, Donoghue admitted that he was guilty of abuse but could not identify the complainant.
“He was removed from his ministry as a priest immediately. This permanent removal from ministry and subsequent ongoing monitoring has continued to the present day.”
The spokesperson said the society reached out to the anonymous emailer “encouraging him to identify himself” and make a complaint to the police so the matter might be properly investigated, and so that he might receive appropriate support.
“Those attempts to connect with and support the victim, made over many months, were unsuccessful and so no complaint could be made by the Society to the police.
“Donoghue was sent for a six-month programme to Encompass, an institute in Australia that provided professional risk assessment and therapy for those accused of sexual abuse.”
One of the men who was sexually abused by Donoghue at St Bede’s College said he was shocked by the revelations.
The offending happened at St Bede’s College. (File photo)Google Maps
“I’m appalled to hear an admission from the church/Society of Mary, that they not only knew about Rowan’s offending, but also had a direct admission of guilt from him too.
“And instead of notifying authorities, chose to send him for ‘re-education’. It shows, as an organisation they are wholly complicit when it comes to their members having offended against children.”
The man said he expected authorities “to be told of all other members who admitted child sex offences”.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons earlier said police were unable to comment on processes of other organisations and their decision making and whether they decide to call the police but that police encouraged people to do so if they have information they believe could be relevant to any investigation or suspected offending.
St Bede’s College rector Jon McDowall earlier said the details outlined through the court process were “deeply disturbing”.
“As rector, it makes me feel sick to think that young people entrusted to an adult’s care were abused in this way. I am deeply sorry that this happened to them, and my thoughts are with the victims and survivors who continue to live with the impact of that harm.”
McDowall said the school had worked openly with police throughout the process.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities should any further information come to light.
“Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present, or future. The college has an established policy in place to respond and support victims of historical abuse, alongside safeguarding policies and practices to protect the wellbeing and safety of students today. Our focus remains on providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community.”
McDowall extended an open invitation for victims in the case, and others who may have been impacted, or anyone with concerns to contact him directly.
St Patrick’s Silverstream rector Rob Ferreira said the school had not been made aware of any allegations of abuse in care while Donoghue worked at the school between 1982 to 1992.
“We have not had any inquiries from the police either.
“We operate according to clearly set out guidelines and best practice and you should note that our primary concern is the wellbeing of our students. Given that – our protection of the privacy and any other rights of survivors of abuse and other individuals would be paramount.”
He said the school had informed the community that Donoghue’s name suppression had lifted.
St Patrick’s College Wellington rector Mike Savali confirmed Donoghue was on the college staff from 2003 to 2007.
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Former Air New Zealand chief executive Greg ForanRNZ / Marika Khabazi
Former Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran is headed back to the US retail scene with a report that he will be the new chief executive of US retail giant Kroger.
The Wall Street Journal reported he will be named as the new chief executive of Kroger after the previous chief executive was dumped for unacceptable personal conduct.
“Kroger officials have said they wanted to look for a candidate outside the walls of the company’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters who could bring a fresh perspective to the grocer,” The Journal report said.
Kroger operates supermarkets, grocers, jewellery, and hypermarkets with food and pharmaceutical retail sites in its own name and through various US state and regional brands.
It’s regarded as one of the big four US retailers with a turnover last year of about NZ$245 billion, with close to 3,000 outlets, and more than 400,000 staff.
Before his five year tenure at Air New Zealand Foran ran the US operations of retail giant Walmart in which he had a reputation as a demanding boss, who paid attention to customer service and product quality, resulting in increased sales through the group.
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A man who received a bone graft did not realise until four months later it had come from a deceased donor, a Health and Disability Commission report says.
He was upset, saying it was against his cultural and religious beliefs.
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Vanessa Caldwell said his doctor failed to inform him who and where the tissue was coming from and therefore breached his right to give informed consent.
The man, who is Māori and known as Mr A in the report, had surgery on his wrist in July 2015.
Bone tissue was transplanted, but he did not find out until a post-surgery review in November that it had come from a deceased donor.
“Mr A told [the doctor] he was upset about this as it was against his cultural and religious beliefs and that he wished he had been told about this before surgery,” the report said.
The doctor could not remember the exact conversation he had with the man beforehand, but acknowledged it was clear he had not properly explained the process, the report said.
He told the commission it had been difficult to communicate with Mr A at times because of his distress, trauma and chronic pain, so standard “fulsome discussion” on the procedure did not happen.
He said he had not been aware of the man’s ethnicity.
The report said the consent form the patient signed did not say the donor tissue would come from another person and there were no records of it being explained.
Caldwell said even if there were challenges with communication, it was the doctor’s responsibility to make sure their patient had the information they needed.
If that could not be achieved, consideration should be given to not proceeding, she said.
The doctor had offered an apology.
He told the commission he had changed the way he worked to make sure he was aware of his patients’ cultural and religious beliefs and made sure he was clear with them about where donor material comes from.
Culturally safe care was fundamental, the report said.
“The use of donor material does have significant implications for people of different ethnicities, cultures and faiths and it is important to acknowledge the cultural implications the inadequate information had on Mr A as a Māori man,” Caldwell said.
“Adequate disclosure of the the allograft process, specifically that bone tissue was to be received from a deceased person would have ensured sufficient time to undertake cultural processes which would make this an acceptable procedure to undergo and that the correct tikanga and kawa were engaged.”
Caldwell would work with Health NZ as it developed a national policy on informed consent for bone grafts.
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These numbers highlight why it’s crucial to understand the different ways suicidal thoughts – also known as suicidal ideation – can show up in everyday conversations.
Researchers once assumed people move along a single continuum from early thoughts to more concrete plans and actions. However, recent research suggests there are substages within this continuum, and people might flip-flop between different types of suicidal thoughts.
Suicidal thoughts can be active or passive. But what’s the difference, and how should we respond when we hear loved ones talking this way?
Passive versus active
Passive suicidal ideation involves thinking about death or not wanting to live, without intention to act and engage in suicidal behaviour.
These thoughts can sound like:
I don’t want to live, but I don’t want to die.
I wish I could fall asleep and never wake up.
My life is not worth living.
I don’t want to be here, but I don’t want to be dead.
I wish I could just disappear.
Everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around.
Active thoughts, in contrast, include thoughts about ending one’s life with some degree of intent or planning. These thoughts can sound like:
I’m having thoughts about how I would end my life.
I’m going to kill myself.
But the two categories are not always clear cut.
Researchers have tried to group related questions to reveal core themes of suicidal thinking but have struggled to articulate an exact distinction between passive and active ideation.
Research published in 2023 found some thoughts – such as “I wish I were dead” or “maybe I should kill myself” – may represent both active and passive ideation.
Passive and active thoughts often co-occur and each independently predicts suicide attempts.
Recognising the signs
These thoughts can be difficult to recognise – in yourself, or in a loved one.
People may not openly express them, or may not know how to put these thoughts into words and ask for help.
Regardless of whether thoughts are passive or active, certain patterns suggest increasing risk.
The National Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025–2035 recognises the importance of a whole-of-community response to suicide prevention, with specific emphasis on laypeople recognising and responding to suicidal distress.
The Black Dog Institute provides a four-step guide for suicide prevention that can help structure your response.
First, directly ask if they are having thoughts of suicide.
Second, listen and take what they are saying seriously, and check their safety to ensure there is nothing they can use to harm themselves.
Third, get help. If someone’s life is in immediate danger, call 000, call a helpline such as Lifeline (13 11 14), or take them to the emergency department; if they are not in immediate danger, help them make an appointment with a GP or psychologist or call a helpline.
Fourth, follow up and check on the person. Let them know you care about them and ask how often would be appropriate to check in with them.
Of course, suicide is complex. Warning signs are not always apparent in the moment. If you have lost someone to suicide, please know you are not responsible for their death. Their decision was shaped by many factors beyond just one person’s control.
No feeling is final
Crisis does eventually pass. While it may not feel possible in the moment, remind the person that things will not stay this way forever and that help is available.
Passive or active, thoughts of suicide are a sign of deep distress.
When we notice and respond with calm curiosity, compassion and practical support, we may help save a life.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Maddison Crethar reports financial support via an Australian government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.
Daniel Hermens receives funding from the Commonwealth government’s Prioritising Mental Health Initiative and the Queensland Mental Health Commission.
More than 11,000 km separate the Northern Mariana Islands from Gaza and Israel.
But the conflict has landed sharply on Saipan after the vandalism of a “Free Palestine” mural has sparked community anger, an arrest, and a wider debate over free speech, protest, and safety in a small Pacific island community.
The mural, painted on private property in the village of San Jose and associated with the grassroots group Marianas for Palestine, was defaced last week.
Police intervened and arrested a 45-year-old man on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
The incident has triggered strong reactions locally, highlighting how global conflicts can reverberate even in remote Pacific communities.
Ponce Rasa, the property owner who spoke publicly following the incident, said the past week had been overwhelming but expressed confidence in the legal process.
“We’re doing fine,” Rasa said.
Community thanked “I just want to thank the community, my friends and my family for the outreach of support. We’re just continuing to push through with the ordeal and hopefully the judicial system takes its course — and I have faith in that.”
The mural was created by Marianas for Palestine, a group that says the artwork is intended as a humanitarian appeal rather than a political provocation.
One of the group’s organisers said the message was rooted in concern for civilian suffering in Gaza.
“Strip away all the context, and at the very core, children are getting murdered every day. There is a genocide going on in Gaza,” said Marianas for Palestine’s Salam Castro Younis.
“And so the mural stands for a plea for humanity – that we should stand up against this and we shouldn’t live in a world that allows that to happen.”
He said the vandalism went beyond property damage and should concern the wider community.
“This individual’s actions – to trespass and vandalise that mural and to show his support for a genocidal apartheid state – speaks volumes,” said Younis, whose father was originally from Palestine.
Vandalism suspect booked “We’re a small island community, so we should all be concerned.”
The vandalism occurred on private land, and community members assisted police in locating the suspect, who was later detained and booked. Authorities have said the case remains under investigation.
The mural’s organisers say its imagery – which includes local and regional symbols – was meant to highlight shared struggles and global interconnectedness, not to import conflict.
“It was really heartfelt to see all the responses online and the actions people took,” Younis said.
“It gives hope that even here, on a small island, people are seeing the truth.”
Rasa said the incident underscored the importance of respecting local laws and community norms.
‘Enjoy the culture’ “San Jose is a small village, and Saipan is a small community,” he said. “People come here to enjoy the culture and the history of the island.
“But to come here and do whatever seems to please you is not law-abiding.”
“That’s how we become a civil society,” he added. “We look out for one another.”
The man arrested in connection with the vandalism later issued a public statement defending his actions as an exercise of free speech and disputing the trespass and vandalism allegations.
Police, however, confirmed he was arrested on February 2 and charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
He was detained at the Commonwealth’s Department of Corrections.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
There’s a peculiar ritual in many kitchens: reaching past the crisp, pristine tea towel hanging on the oven door to grab the threadbare, slightly greying one shoved in the drawer.
We all know that old faithful dries dishes better, even if we can’t quite explain why. It seems counter-intuitive – shouldn’t brand new towels, fresh from the packaging, outperform their worn-out predecessors?
Yet here we are, instinctively choosing the frayed over the fresh.
This isn’t just kitchen superstition. There’s genuine science behind why your tea towels actually improve with age, and understanding it might change how you think about all your household textiles.
The science of soaking it up
Tea towels are typically made from cotton or linen fibres, chosen specifically because these natural cellulose fibres are inherently hygroscopic, or water-loving.
But fibre type alone doesn’t determine how well your towel performs. A textile’s absorption is the result of a complex interplay between fibre, yarn, fabric structure, and any finishes applied during manufacturing.
Textiles absorb and hold water in two key places: within the fibre structure itself, and in the spaces between fibres and yarns. This is why fabric structure matters so much.
Think about bath towels – when was the last time you used a smooth, thin one? Bath towels are typically thick terry pile construction with lots of small loops on the surface. These loops dramatically increase surface area, allowing water to be easily wicked into the fabric.
The loops on terry fabric are what makes bath towels so absorbent by trapping moisture in the fibres. Lindsay Lyon/Unsplash
Tea towels come in various constructions: plain weave, twill weave, waffle cloth, or terry. Plain weave towels – the kind you see with printed designs – require a smooth surface for clean, crisp screen printing.
Waffle cloth, which looks exactly as its name suggests, has a three-dimensional texture that makes it incredibly effective. Like with terry towels, this structure increases surface area and enhances water absorption.
Why old beats new
So what makes your battered old tea towel superior to its pristine replacement? Three key factors are at play.
Silicone finishes. Many brand-new textiles arrive coated in silicone softeners that provide softness and wrinkle resistance, making them appealing on store shelves.
But here’s the catch: these same finishes are often water resistant. Your brand new tea towel may literally have a water-repellent coating. The fix is simple – always wash new tea towels in hot water before first use.
The impact of laundering. Fabrics undergo significant changes during their first several washes – typically up to six cycles. During manufacturing, whether knitted or woven, fabrics are held under tension. Washing causes the yarns to relax in what’s called “relaxation shrinkage”, reverting to their natural, tension-free state. Industry typically tolerates up to 5% shrinkage.
Here’s where it gets interesting: while your tea towel’s dimensions may shrink slightly, its mass stays the same, meaning the fabric becomes thicker and denser. In waffle weave towels, this shrinkage can make the three-dimensional texture more pronounced, increasing surface geometry and absorption. This phenomenon has been documented in terry bath towels, as well.
The geometry of a waffle cloth makes it really absorbent. 022 873/Unsplash
Fabric ageing. Repeated washing and drying causes minor surface damage that actually improves performance. Small fibres gradually raise up from the fabric surface, creating a fluffier, “hairier” texture.
Really smooth tea towels aren’t very absorbent because water struggles to wet the surface – it can almost bead up due to the contact angle between water and the smooth fabric.
But as washing raises more fibres off the surface making a “rougher” textile, the contact angle decreases, making the fabric easier to wet. Waffle fabrics, with their irregular surfaces, are inherently more absorbent from the start due to favourable contact angles.
In short: washing leads to more surface texture, leading to better absorption.
Not just tea towels
The real revelation here isn’t just about tea towels – it’s about how we think about textiles in general.
That “worn in” feeling we associate with our favourite bath towels, tea towels and even bed linens isn’t just nostalgia. Many of our home textiles are genuinely performing better after repeated laundering, having shed their factory finishes and relaxed into their true structure.
So before you send your old tea towels off for recycling to replace with new ones, remember: those frayed edges and faded patterns represent months of your towel becoming exactly what it was meant to be.
And when you do buy new household textiles, wash them at least once before using to remove any residual finishes.
Rebecca Van Amber is a chartered member of The Textile Institute.
But one should surely sit above the rest: why do we keep accepting the human and financial cost of this risk?
While it might be assumed that earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are Aotearoa’s deadliest natural hazards, landslides have claimed more than twice as many lives – approximately 1,800 – as both combined over the past 200 years.
They remain such an insidious and under-appreciated hazard because they cause deaths relatively frequently, but typically only in small numbers. Being one of the most fatal New Zealand landslides since 1846, last month’s tragedy at Mount Maunganui was a stark exception.
A useful analogy is our tolerance for car crashes versus aeroplane crashes. Road deaths in New Zealand kill hundreds of people each year, one by one, with little national reckoning. The 1979 Mount Erebus air disaster, in which 257 people were killed in one afternoon, forever changed aviation policy and remains part of the country’s collective memory.
In natural hazard terms, landslides are car crashes; earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are aeroplane crashes. Yet, with climate change driving heavier rainfall, it’s worth asking whether this is a danger we should be comfortable to continue living with – and paying for.
Since 2010, central government has incurred about NZ$19 billion in costs associated with natural hazards, but 97% of that has gone on response and recovery, with just 3% on reducing risk and building resilience. In practice, New Zealand keeps paying for disasters after they happen, rather than spending to stop them happening in the first place.
A hazard hiding in plain sight
The risk of landslides, specifically, is managed through a complex mix of laws, led by the Resource Management Act (RMA). It largely falls to territorial authorities, which can restrict new developments but, due to land use rights, are more constrained with existing buildings even if at high risk.
There have been some successful attempts to change land use rules, but they have been few and far between. It remains to be seen what effect the latest reforms to the RMA will have.
Recent disasters have also exposed gaps in how local councils, emergency services, central government agencies and insurers respond to events, with unclear responsibilities and slow information flows. This underscores the need for a more joined-up response to events such as floods and landslides, as a high-level inquiry recommended in 2024.
On top of all this is the need to gain a clearer national picture of the hazard. Past landslides indicate where failures are most likely: steep slopes, weak rock, wet soils and sparse vegetation, particularly where forestry was recently cleared. But outcomes also depend on subtler factors such as slope shape and aspect.
We also know landslides come in different shapes and sizes, which determines how far they travel and how much area they can threaten. In New Zealand, the most common type are shallow slides, typically one to two metres deep and involving only the top layer of soil.
Despite their size, these slides can be highly dangerous, carrying hundreds of tonnes of debris at high speed. Their paths are not always straightforward: wet landslide debris can behave like a liquid, following channels in the landscape and travelling for kilometres.
While scientists’ understanding of landslides has improved markedly over recent decades, important gaps remain. Because landslides are highly localised, they demand detailed local knowledge. But New Zealand’s inventories are still patchy, particularly in Northland and the Bay of Plenty, and existing local studies are often hard to access or compare.
This also makes it harder to understand precisely what climate change means for national landslide risk.
Although a warming climate is already driving more intense and frequent storms, emerging research suggests future landslides will mostly increase in areas already prone to them, rather than spread into entirely new regions. Even so, uncertainty in these projections remains high.
The cost of living with risk
To paraphrase New Zealand’s former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, if you want natural hazards, you’re in the right place in Aotearoa. Managing the ever-present threat from landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, tsunamis, liquefaction and wildfire is a daunting responsibility. But it’s a job we expect our authorities to do, all while running other services and keeping our rates and taxes as low as possible.
With the cost of landslides mounting, we might expect that when local authorities identify actions to reduce risk that could save money in the long run, these efforts would be welcomed by central government. Instead, they are often met with a phrase we have become too familiar with: we are in a “fiscally challenging environment”.
That may be. But it is also true that the costs associated with natural hazards are only likely to increase. The cheapest time to invest in resilience is now.
When it comes to landslides, we need to consider whether repeated fatalities from a known and worsening hazard are something we are prepared to tolerate. Aeroplane crashes have always been unacceptable to us, but the 2019 Ministry of Transport Road to Zero strategy suggested deaths in car crashes were becoming intolerable as well.
Perhaps now is the time to take a similar approach to landslides. With an election looming, political parties have a chance to put forward credible plans to reduce natural hazard risk or, better still, to agree on a non-partisan path that builds resilience for the long term.
Tom Robinson receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Natural Hazards Commission.
The Hurricanes Poua have signed Black Ferns fullback Renee Holmes ahead of the Super Rugby Aupiki season.
Holmes joins the Poua after two seasons with the Chiefs Manawa in what is a homecoming to the Hurricanes region for the Gisborne-born-and-raised fullback.
“I’m super excited to be joining this team. I love the culture and the vibes, the style of rugby the Poua play, and I’m excited about the opportunity to chase the Hurricanes’ first-ever Super Rugby Aupiki title. I cannot wait to be a part of it,” Holmes said.
“I’m also super excited to work under Trigs (Poua head coach Hayden Triggs), I’ve heard nothing but good things and I can already feel his passion for this team and I’m looking forward to seeing where he can help take my game.”
New Zealand’s full back Renee Holmes (R) celebrates scoring a try during the Women’s Rugby World Cup third-place match against France, 2025.ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP
The 26-year-old goal-kicking Holmes brings plenty of domestic and international pedigree to the Poua.
Formerly a New Zealand age-grade representative in football, taekwondo, and ultimate frisbee, Holmes made her first-class rugby debut as a teenager with Hawke’s Bay in 2017.
She has since forged an impressive playing career, which includes a Rugby World Cup title with the Black Ferns on home soil four years ago, a 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki championship with Matatū, and Farah Palmer Cup success with Waikato in 2021.
In total, Holmes has made 29 test appearances and scored 199 points for the Black Ferns since making her debut for the side against the New Zealand Barbarians in 2020.
She featured prominently during last year’s World Cup campaign in England, and has won both the Pacific Four Series twice and the Laurie O’Reilly Cup four times while representing the Black Ferns.
In addition to her time with Hawke’s Bay and Waikato, Holmes has also played provincially for Bay of Plenty, and will embark on her fifth Super Rugby Aupiki campaign next year after two seasons each with the Chiefs Manawa and Matatū.
Triggs is thrilled to welcome a player of Holmes’ calibre to his side.
“The club is excited to provide a homecoming of sorts to a Gisborne-born talent in Renee,” Triggs said.
“The more I shared the vision for the club and the team to Renee, the more there was a shared enthusiasm about what the future holds for the Poua.
“Signing Renee is a big step in re-shaping the Poua programme. She is a humble, kind person, a dedicated athlete, a world-class competitor, and is the type of player we want our next Poua players to see and replicate for future squads.
“We are also driven to develop her game and leadership in the club, both on and off the field, to find a new ceiling in her game.
“As a team and a club, we can’t wait to see Renz in a black-and-yellow jersey uniting and exciting our Hurricanes fans in Super Rugby Aupiki 2026.”
The remainder of the 2026 Hurricanes Poua squad will be announced at a later date.
Super Rugby Aupiki has shifted dates this year. Previously played through March and April, it will now take place between June and August, with the draw yet to be confirmed.
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Judge William Hastings presiding over the trial of a senior Navy officer, for their conduct during an overseas operation in Fiji in 2023. RNZ/Lucy Xia
A senior navy officer is facing a Court Martial over their behaviour during an operation in Fiji in March 2023, where they allegedly encouraged a junior officer to kiss them.
The hearing is sitting at the Devonport Navy Base in Auckland.
The military prosecutors have charged the senior officer with behaviour likely to prejudice service discipline.
Judge William Hastings has declined an application for interim name suppression, saying that the threshold for extreme hardship for the defendant and undue hardship for their family members hasn’t been met.
However, the defendant’s name cannot be published yet pending an appeal.
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File photo. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said US President Donald Trump’s social media post was racist.RNZ / Mark Papalii
The prime minister says US President Donald Trump’s social media post – depicting his predecessor Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes – is racist.
The AI-generated video was among 70 messages Trump posted on Thursday night, US time.
It was later deleted, and the administration blamed a staffer after initially defending the post.
“I mean I think when he was asked I think he said he condemns it but the reality is I saw coverage of it, I lived in the US for eight years in North America, and I’m well aware of what that trope is all about.
“It was racist, and it’s right that it’s been removed. As to whether he apologises for it that’s ultimately for him, but I would’ve thought you’d want to.”
Some Republicans have joined Democrats in decrying the post and calling for an apology.
Trump has not yet apologised.
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Nearly twice as many new businesses were recieving investment last year. (File photo)Unsplash/ Declan Sun
Early-stage angel investment in start-up businesses saw positive growth in the amount of capital invested last year, for the first time since 2021.
Angel Association chief executive Bridget Unsworth said new deals attracted 8.6 percent more capital overall, with nearly twice as many new businesses receiving investment.
Deal activity rebounded strongly with a 34 percent increase in the number of deals completed to 167 from 125 in 2024, but with a conservative a 2.7 percent increase in capital to $13.9 million.
Unsworth said it appeared more investors were keeping dollars in reserve for follow-on investment, with the average investment per angel investor down 8 percent to $12,446 from $15,100 in 2024.
“Yes, the cheques are slightly smaller, but more companies are getting seeded,” Unsworth said.
She said the number of angel investors with a portfolio of five or more growth businesses rose 14 percent from 12 percent in 2024.
“I think it’s positive in that we’re seeing diversification across all the sectors,” she said.
“For a long time, software was 50 percent of all the capital that was committed. We’re seeing it spread more evenly across multiple sectors.”
She said deep tech, which focused on ground-breaking technology, was attracting more investment, with an increase of 22 percent over a rolling five-year average to $6.6m from $4.4m the year earlier.
“In a global environment shaped by climate solutions, national capability, and advanced technologies, this trend positions New Zealand well, provided capital and specialist expertise remain aligned,” she said.
“So all in all I think it is it is really positive in terms of how our market is evolving.”
Unsworth said the highlight of the year was a 34 percent increase in the number of active angel investors over the past year to 455 from 328 in 2024.
“We have got great investors coming into the space that are bringing not only their capital, but their breadth of expertise.”
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
Newspoll, Redbridge and Morgan polls all have One Nation second behind Labor, with the Coalition third. However, there are no Labor vs One Nation two-party estimates.
A national Newspoll, conducted February 5–8 from a sample of 1,234, gave Labor 33% of the primary vote (up one since the previous Newspoll three weeks ago), One Nation 27% (up five), the Coalition 18% (down three), the Greens 12% (steady) and all Others 10% (down three).
This is a record high for One Nation in any poll and a record low for the Coalition. But last week’s Redbridge and Morgan polls had One Nation leading the Coalition by seven and 4.5 points respectively. On current polls, One Nation is beating the Coalition into second place.
In a single-member electoral system like the House of Representatives, the consequences for a major party that falls to third would be brutal. On current polling, the Coalition would struggle to win ten of the 150 House seats.
As the Coalition is no longer second, no Labor vs Coalition two-party estimate was released by Newspoll. None of the three polls in this article have released a Labor vs One Nation two-party estimate. A late January YouGov poll gave Labor a 57–43 respondent-allocated preference lead over One Nation.
Analyst Kevin Bonham has Labor vs Coalition and Labor vs One Nation two-party aggregates using 2025 Senate preference flow data. He has Labor leading One Nation by 54.1–45.9 and the Coalition by 54.3–45.7. With the massive drop in the Coalition vote since the last election, this method may not be reliable.
Anthony Albanese’s net approval improved one point to -10, while Sussan Ley’s net approval slumped 11 points to a new low of -39, the worst for a major party leader in Newspoll since Labor’s Simon Crean in 2003. Albanese led Ley as better PM by 49–30 (51–31 previously).
This graph shows Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll since he became PM in 2022, with a smoothed line fitted.
Amid the Coalition’s turmoil, Labor will be relieved this poll was not worse for them after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates last Tuesday.
One Nation’s poll surge and a potential Labor vs One Nation contest
Before the December 14 Bondi terrorist attacks, One Nation had already surged from 6.4% at the last election to the high teens in polls. I believe this reflected frustration from right-wing voters with Labor’s landslide at the election and the perceived weakness of Ley’s leadership.
The Bondi attacks played into One Nation’s anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim themes, sending it into the 20s, just behind the Coalition. The Coalition split on January 22 has resulted in One Nation overtaking the Coalition on primary votes. The Coalition reformed yesterday, but the damage may already be done.
If One Nation replaces the Coalition as the main right-wing party at the next election, I believe Labor has advantages. While One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s net favourability surged 16 points to -3 in the Redbridge poll below, she hasn’t yet come under media and Labor scrutiny for her policies. If One Nation is seen as a potential government by the next election, they will receive far more scrutiny.
One Nation is further to the right than the Coalition. An important reason for Labor’s landslide was that the Coalition was perceived as too close to US President Donald Trump. With Trump at -51 net favourable with Australians in the Redbridge poll, it will be difficult for a pro-Trump party to win.
The next Australian federal election is due by May 2028, before the next US presidential election in November 2028.
Redbridge poll has One Nation seven points ahead of Coalition
A national Redbridge and Accent Research poll for The Financial Review, conducted January 22–29 from a sample of 1,003, gave Labor 34% of the primary vote (down one since the last Redbridge poll in December), One Nation 26% (up nine), the former Coalition parties 19% (down seven), the Greens 11% (down two) and all Others 10% (up one).
No Labor vs One Nation two-party estimate was provided, with Labor leading the Coalition by an unchanged 56–44 using 2025 election preference flows.
Albanese’s net favourability was down 11 points to -10, while Ley was down 12 to -32. Albanese led Ley as preferred PM by 37–9 with 34% for neither (41–12 previously).
While both Albanese and Ley slumped, Hanson’s net favourability surged 16 points to -3 and Barnaby Joyce’s net favourability was up eight points to -19.
Liberal leadership aspirants Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor were respectively at an even 16–16 and 17–13 unfavourable, while Nationals leader David Littleproud was at 27–13 unfavourable. Donald Trump was at 67–16 unfavourable.
Morgan poll: One Nation now leading Coalition
A national Morgan poll, conducted January 26 to February 1 from a sample of 1,401, gave Labor 30.5% of the primary vote (steady since the January 19–25 Morgan poll), One Nation 25% (up 2,5), the Coalition 20.5% (down two), the Greens 12.5% (down 0.5) and all Others 11.5% (steady).
There was no Labor vs One Nation two-party estimate. Labor led the Coalition by 56–44 using respondent preferences, a 0.5-point gain for the Coalition. By 2025 election flows, Labor led by an unchanged 54.5–45.5.
The four January Morgan polls have had One Nation and the Coalition going in opposite directions. One Nation was at 15% in the first poll, then 21%, 22.5% and 25%, while the Coalition began at 30.5%, then 24%, 22.5% and 20.5%.
Morgan also released demographic breakdowns from its four January polls. Compared with November to December, Labor led the Coalition in all states, regaining a 51–49 lead in Queensland. Labor’s biggest lead was in South Australia (61–39), which holds a state election on March 21.
Labor led by 56–44 with women and 52.5–47.5 with men. They led by 65.5–34.5 with those aged 18–34, 58–42 with those aged 35–49 and 51.5–48.5 with those aged 50–64. The Coalition led by 58–42 with those aged 65 and older.
One Nation’s support was highest in New South Wales at 25.5%, beating its traditional strongest state of Queensland (24%). Their support by age peaked with those aged 50–64 at 27%.
Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Fincap, the organisation that represents financial mentors around the country, has made the proposal to the Finance and Expenditure Committee.
Financial mentors say organisations that benefit from their services should be willing to pay a levy.
Fincap, the organisation that represents financial mentors around the country, has made the proposal to the Finance and Expenditure Committee.
Forty-four financial mentor services lost funding in the latest round and Fincap spokesperson Jake Lilley said they are increasingly having to ask staff to take pay cuts or work as volunteers to be able to continue operating.
“We’ve had a lot close,” he told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.
He said it was a concern that the industry was also losing experienced people who knew how to navigate the complex situations that clients would seek help with.
But demand for their services has increased, and Lilley says many organisations rely on their services, including KiwiSaver providers who often suggest people making a hardship application seek help from a mentor.
Lilley said while financial services providers would have their own hardship teams, there were usually limits to what it was appropriate for them to discuss with clients. Financial mentors could look at people’s situations as a whole.
“You can get into a situation where the loudest creditor is the one who is paid when someone hasn’t got the assistance to look at the situation as a whole.”
He said some mentors said it took eight hours of their time to help a client with a KiwiSaver hardship withdrawal application.
Telecommunications and power companies also benefited from mentors’ work, he said.
David Baines, of Christchurch’s Kingdom Resources services, said his organisation lost funding in 2024.
“We were in a situation where government funding provided about 80 percent of our total income.” he said.
Of 11 staff, two became volunteers and four reduced their income, he said. But he said Kingdom Resources still received referrals from government agencies, even though funding had been stopped.
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New Zealand Cricket has confirmed Graham Parks will take charge as its interim chief executive until a full time replacement is found for Scott Weenink.
Parks, who has been NZC’s chief venues and events officer, has agreed to provide a stopgap as CEO, taking over from Catherine Campbell, who has acted as designated CEO since Weenink’s departure in December.
A statement from NZC said: “Graham is a long-serving member of our senior leadership team; has the skillset required for the assignment, is up to speed on current projects and events, and shares the trust and goodwill of NZC staff, members and stakeholders.
“Catherine Campbell will lead the Venues and Events function during this period.”
While Parks will continue to be based in Lincoln, he has agreed to split his time in Auckland to liaise more closely with NZ’s personnel and stakeholders.
NZC said it will advertise for the CEO role within the week and hopes to annouce the successful candidate by early April.
Scott Weenink.photosport
Weenink announced he was stepping down a week before Christmas following months growing concern that the board and the chief executive were no longer on the same page.
Weenink cited fundamental differences with key stakeholders over the long-term direction of the game and a potential change to structure of T20 cricket.
Sources told RNZ Weenink had been “fighting for his survival” since November amid a power struggle related to the domestic game.
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World Rugby Chief of Rugby Mark Robinson.Photosport
Mark Robinson doesn’t officially start his new role at World Rugby for another few months but already has made some strides into what looks to be a major brief from the sport’s global governing body.
The former NZ Rugby chief executive has been given the rather broad title of Chief of Rugby, which he explains will revolve around capitalising on commercial opportunities, bringing alignment to the game and, most notably, winning over new fans around the world.
“It’s about how it’s presented, how we present iconic events and even just how rugby is talked about,” explained Robinson from his new home on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
“Then as part of that, thinking about fan acquisition and the conversion of fans.”
Probably of most interest to lifelong rugby fans is Robinson’s view on how rugby is actually presented, and what can be done to create consistency. For example, in stadium replays have the ability to affect refereeing decisions, something that in 2024 played a big role in the All Blacks losing to the Springboks at Ellis Park.
Pre match entertainment before All Blacks v South Africa Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship, Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg.Nic Bothma/ActionPress
“The way that the match presentation responds, the commentary teams work, creating really much improved alignment around the way that looks and feels on match day. As well as the use of data.”
That last one feels like an enigmatic nut to crack, as for over 30 years of professionalism rugby has struggled to latch on to any sort of compelling data sets for fans other than the good old territory and possession.
Nevertheless, Robinson believes that figuring it out will provide a much easier pathway for new fans to understand the game. One of football’s greatest strengths is that the officials don’t actually officially communicate with the players verbally, removing the need for them to even understand each other’s languages. Rugby, on the other hand, sees the referee act as an extra commentator and can only do so in English at test level.
Jack Crowley of Ireland is shown a yellow card by referee Matthew Carley during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium.Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
“It’s obviously seen as a key tenant, ensuring the game can balance accuracy within officiating and entertainment and spectacle,” said Robinson.
“I guess over the last little while, we’ve seen some amazing rugby but I think we’ve also seen some rugby that maybe the product could be improved upon.”
Then there’s the issue of maximising commercial revenue, something Robinson has been unashamedly upfront about ever since taking the top job at NZR. His view is very much that rugby is leaving money on the table, especially when it comes to exploring new markets, as well as broadcast and sponsorship deals.
“There’s definitely an opportunity to elevate the way we think and say more on our game, globally. And to do that, we need to be clear on our product, what the game looks like and what the game philosophies are is part of that. Areas like entertainment, spectacle and, and accuracy around officiating. Now some of the things we need to be really clear on. And I think the second part of it relates to the value in the game.”
Mark Robinson. Graphic: Liam K. SwiggsPHOTOSPORT
It’s way too early to tell what the outcome of Robinson’s new mission will be, considering he hasn’t even sat down at his desk yet. But for now, he’s been heavily involved in World Rugby’s Shape of the Game initiative, which Robinson said would provide better clarity around what’s emerging as a touchy subject in the rugby world.
“I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot as it relates to new markets, and that that will give us a clearer understanding of preserving aspects of the history and the traditions of the game, the values associated with it. While we’re pushing new frontiers, I’m sure there are ways that we can harness both.”
That’s all well and good, but the nature of online discourse around tinkering with the game’s laws has become so toxic it will make it a tough sell. For example, some of the northern hemisphere reactions to Super Rugby Pacific’s recent changes are bafflingly over the top considering they don’t even compete in the competition. But the perception is there that the likes of New Zealand and Australia are attempting to get laws changed to suit the style of play, which admittedly is not entirely unfair. Ever the agent of change, Robinson can see a way forward, though.
“I think there’s shifts hinged around the need, the acknowledgment to evolve in some areas, quickly. At the top of the list is to be more, you know, engaged, thoughtful and adaptable around fans.”
That does lead into the fact that if this role ends up being as substantial as it could be, New Zealand and its rugby allies find themselves with a powerful player in the administrative scene. For now though, Robinson is looking forward to getting in and attempting make new fans around the world, while reaffirming the love of rugby that already exists.
“With the World Cups coming up, new competitions like the Nation’s Championship, the Greatest Rivalry Tour. They’re a great shop window opportunities for the for the product to be positioned as best as possible.”
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The rise in home loan rates continues with ASB Bank the latest to increase medium-term fixed mortgages.
It has marginally lowered its six-month rates, but loans for one year through to three years have been raised between 10 and 20 basis points.
ASB Bank said the rises reflected the increase in wholesale interest rates, which had risen more than half a percentage point since the last Reserve Bank decision at the end of last November.
ASB’s six month rate is 4.59 percent, down six basis points. The one year rate has risen to 4.59 percent, the 18-month rate 4.75%, two years now sits at 4.95 percent and the three year rate is 5.19 percent.
Last week BNZ cut its six-month rate by 20 basis points to 4.49 percent. But the four-year rate lifts by 26 basis points to 5.55 percent and the five-year by 40 basis points to 5.69 percent.
ANZ is reducing its six-month rate by 20 basis points and increasing its two-year and four-year rates by 20. Its five-year rate will increase by 30. That takes its two-year special to 5.49 percent and its five-year special to 5.99 percent.
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American actor Bradley Cooper’s latest turn in the director’s chair (after Maestro and A Star is Born) ambitiously tries to evoke the warm, low-key dramedies of a bygone era.
But its well-intentioned and often well-crafted parts never fully come together enough to really pull the heartstrings.
It’s all just kind of okay.
This video is hosted on Youtube.
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An AI-generated video claimed to show Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Waitangi.Screenshot / Facebook
Analysis – A flood of “fake NZ news” pages are swamping social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate still photos of a Mount Maunganui landslide victim.
Dodgy Facebook pages devoted to churning out AI-generated images and videos are almost unavoidable on the site now – and they’re still fooling an awful lot of people.
In an investigation I conducted for the Australian Associated Press, a Facebook page calling itself “NZ News Hub” – which has no connection whatsoever to the now-defunct Newshub – has been pushing out dozens of posts a week that take the legitimate reporting by news organisations including RNZ, the New Zealand Herald, Stuff and others, and add sloppy AI-generated images or videos to them.
In one case, a video was posted that grotesquely animates a still photo of a 15-year-old Mount Maunganui landslide victim, making her appear to dance.
The page’s bio proclaims “NZ News Hub brings you the latest New Zealand news, breaking stories, politics, business, sport, and community updates”, but it does not appear to contain any original reporting.
For instance, on Waitangi Day, the page published a post that appeared to be a video of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Waitangi, but was clearly generated by AI.
Nevertheless, the page, which has nearly 5000 followers, has dozens of people “liking” and commenting on its posts as if they were real. Many of their followers appear to be business pages and even include a few politicians.
A still image of a press conference by Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was animated by AI.Screenshot / Facebook
Attempts by AAP to get “NZ News Hub” to comment went unanswered.
Andrew Lensen, a senior lecturer in AI and programme director at Victoria University of Wellington, said that the “News Hub” page’s images were clearly AI-generated.
“These pages want to get as much engagement (reactions, comments, shares) as possible, in order to build their following/exposure and potential ad revenue,” he told me for my AAP piece.
False images of a recent flooding disaster at the Mahurangi River.Screenshot / Facebook
The easy availability of AI tools now has made it possible for pretty much anyone to launch a “fake news” factory, with little moderation by tech giants to keep the flood at bay. Many fake pictures show a “SynthID” watermark indicating Google’s AI tools were used to create them – but you have to know how to find that watermark in the first place.
False images of the Mount Maunganui landslide have flooded social media.Screenshot / Facebook
The Mount Maunganui disaster that killed six people led to a flurry of AI slop online, as RNZ has previously reported.
False information about the victims has also been circulating.
An image of landslide victim Sharon Maccanico, 15, dancing was misleadingly animated by AI by the Facebook page ‘NZ News Hub.’Screenshot / Facebook
A still photo that was provided by NZ Police to the media of victim Sharon Maccanico, 15, dancing was animated by NZ News Hub in a post to make it look as if the teenager was doing almost impossibly acrobatic dance moves, set to a jaunty soundtrack.
NZ News Hub has taken many recent RNZ stories and reposted large portions of the reporting while adding misleading AI tweaks to them.
One post took a recent press conference by Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis and used a still image taken by an RNZ photographer to create an AI video of them speaking about the upcoming November election.
Another recent post referred to RNZ reporter Tim Brown’s recent pieces on Tauranga parents mourning their daughter’s suicide, but used AI to animate an RNZ image so the couple appeared to be smiling at each other. Brown confirmed no such video was taken by RNZ.
Legitimate images have been misleadingly animated by AI in some cases.Screenshot / Facebook
Many images do bear the hallmarks of AI, but others are harder to discern. Still, there are typically tells.
An image claiming to be of police officers responding to recent anti-immigration protests in Auckland shows the “police” all have incorrect uniforms and extremely blurred and distorted faces. While another picture that claims to be from police operations to recover a drowning victim on the Mahurangi River last month has so-called police with “POPFIL” written on the back of their uniforms – and the river shown doesn’t look anything like the actual river.
Even the iconic NZ kererū isn’t immune to AI tinkering. A story RNZ ran last week about the dangers of the native wood pigeon running into windows was picked up, but the image was bafflingly replaced with an AI-generated bird that doesn’t look anything like a kererū.
An AI generated image based off a legitimate RNZ story.Screenshot / Facebook
It’s possible some of the AI images are being used to avoid copyright wrangles by stealing legitimate news websites’ photos, Lensen said.
“Trust in journalism is already a huge concern, and any source that presents itself as a fake source of news will just increase distrust further,” Lensen told me.
Many false Facebook pages also churn out stories about celebrities with enticing headlines promising “truths REVEALED” and scandalous information, which is rarely borne out in the actual copy. Such stories often link to exterior websites laden with pop-up ads and trying to build up traffic and clicks to eventually earn revenue.
False images of East Cape flooding generated by AI.Screenshot / Facebook
This “NZ News Hub” is hardly alone out there in slop-land. Pretty much every news event you can think of, whether it’s a shark attack in Australia, the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or the assassination of Charlie Kirk, has had fake news posts and images smothering social media within minutes of the event.
Many of these pages are actually run from countries that are nowhere near where the news came from, such as Vietnam or Malaysia, Facebook page transparency information shows.
AI generated images often have trouble with text, such as this image that claims to be about recent sewage spills in Wellington.Screenshot / Facebook
Even if Facebook acts on these specific pages, dozens of copycats will likely crop up instantly.
It’s part of the general social media platform decay that has been christened “enshittification” by author Cory Doctorow.
Lensen said he felt pages such as NZ News Hub showed traditional media should be very cautious on using AI in their reporting.
“As AI slop becomes more and more widespread online, people may turn back to these established platforms as a trusted source. But if the established platforms also use AI, then where do we go for the truth?”
RNZ has a series of AI principles that are available online and will generally not publish, broadcast or otherwise knowingly disseminate work created by generative AI.
Many of the “NZ News Hub” posts have been reported to Meta, owner of Facebook, but as of this writing they’re still up.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
When it comes to the US’ National Football League (NFL), Australians’ interest has historically been limited to major events like the Super Bowl. But an increased focus from the NFL’s head office suggests many Australians’ interest has grown from casual to committed, with the NFL challenging local leagues for fan interest.
Our research teams recently conducted a national survey quantifying Australians’ consumption of national and overseas leagues.
It reveals interest in the NFL now exceeds 1.7 million adult Australians. This is around 8% of Australians aged 18-80, almost 2% higher than three years ago, and now matches the number of Australian fans of the NBA.
The NFL and NBA sit second to only the English Premier League in Australian fan interest (3.5m) for international professional team leagues.
NFL is heating up Down Under
Drivers of the NFL’s growth in Australia are strategic and clear. Simply and most critically, the league has become more available.
To the envy of many other sports, it boasts visibility on free-to-air channels and multiple streaming services, alongside free and accessible highlights packages on streaming channels and non-match content from documentaries to social content.
Expansion outside of the United States has also been deliberate and prolific: in 2025, the NFL hosted games in Brazil, Mexico, England, Ireland, Spain and Germany.
Based on recent years, Australia’s 1.7 million adult NFL fans will be among an expected non-US audience over of more than 60 million who tune into Monday’s Super Bowl, joining a further 120 million expected to watch within the US.
We found NFL interest is far more prominent in males and audiences in the 30-50 age brackets. Conversely, the NBA retains higher interest for audiences under the age of 30.
Of the 1.7 million NFL fans in Australia, we found:
72% support a team (San Francisco and New England lead the way)
62% watched games live or highlights at least fortnightly
29% follow non-game content on social media fortnightly
47% own merchandise of a team
two-thirds have watched a documentary related to the sport
one in six play fantasy sport aligned to the NFL
one in five gamble on an NFL game monthly.
The Australian NFL fanbase, like other sport and non-sport brands across industries, remains dominated not by hardcore fanatics but by medium and light users.
Around 30% of Australian NFL fans would be classified as light fans (which means only half support a team and 65% only watch highlights) while 26% are highly committed fans (which means 96% follow a team and 86% watch games live at least every few weeks).
These segments and consumption patterns mirror those for EPL and NBA fans in Australia. Even the AFL, our leading local league, boasts large medium and light user segments which are critical for driving core revenues.
A threat to local leagues?
Interest in the NFL is growing among Australian adults and now exceeds interest in established local leagues including Super Rugby and Super Netball.
However, our evidence suggests major local leagues shouldn’t be too worried yet about losing fans.
On average, those who identify as Australian NFL fans follow five professional sport leagues. But Australian fans who are not NFL fans follow, on average, two or three leagues.
This pattern of increasingly shared or fluid fandom aligns with global shifts that see fans consuming more sports, in different ways.
The NFL is not replacing established Australian sports. However, it is part of an ongoing challenge to local leagues’ share of fan numbers, attention and spend.
Australian sports must understand and layer new features of sport consumption (such as ease of access, flexible viewing, highlights and storytelling beyond matchdays).
These aspects, combined with media and global strategies have allowed the NFL to build and now grow low and medium interest fan groups.
The question is no longer whether Australians care about US (and increasingly global) sports such as NFL but how local sport organisations adapt to their growing appetites.
Professor Adam Karg consults to and conducts research for a number of organisations across Australia and globally. His academic and consultancy research has received funding from organisations including the Australian Research Council, the Australian Sports Commission, Government bodies, national and state sport governing bodies and professional leagues and/or teams including those from the Australian Football League, National Rugby League, National Basketball League and the A-League.
Illegal Scilate apple trees have been destroyed in a Gansu province orchard.Supplied
Illegal apple orchards in China have been torn down after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of New Zealand horticulture company T&G.
T&G owns the IP rights to its Scilate apple variety, which is marketed as ENVY – it’s grown both here and through a licensed grower in China.
But a company in the Shandong Province, China’s main apple growing region, grew and sold the variety using similar markings to T&G’s ENVY.
The Supreme People’s Court has issued a final judgment in favour of T&G in the dispute with a Chinese defendant.
The court has ordered the defendant to pay significant damages to T&G and to stop all infringement of the company’s Scilate plant variety rights.
The court has also supervised the destruction of a large number of illegally planted trees in the Gansu province.
T&G chief executive Gareth Edgecomb said this is a significant win for the company.
“We welcome this ruling by the Supreme People’s Court and the commitment it shows under China’s strengthened Seed Law to safeguard plant variety rights and put a stop to illegitimate production and infringement.
“With it being the second ruling in T&G’s favour, by China’s highest court, it establishes a strong judicial precedent for the handling of similar infringement disputes in China,”
Edgecomb said over the last 20 years T&G had invested significantly in the research and development of new varieties.
“The Court’s judgment, as well as the recent Regulations on the Protection of New Plant Varieties, which give the authorities strong powers to investigate and enforce infringement of plant intellectual property rights, will benefit plant breeders, growers, customers and the horticulture sector.
“It provides T&G with further confidence to continue investing in China knowing our intellectual property is well protected.”
Kiwifruit marketer Zespri has also been plagued by illegal plantings in China and has had successful prosecutions.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
There has been a boom in townhouse construction over recent years, particularly in Auckland and Christchurch. In the past five years there have been a total of just over 48,000 townhouses, flats and units – not including apartments and units in retirement villages – consented in Auckland.
But the cheaper price point of townhouses has made some suburbs accessible to first-home buyers who might previously have been priced out.
Cotality head of research Nick Goodall said the cheapest townhouses in the country compared to the median value of standalone houses were in Herne Bay, usually the country’s most expensive area.
There, townhouses cost a median $936,000 and houses $3.03 million.
That was followed by St Mary’s Bay, at $852,000 and $2.87m and Parnell at $886,000 and $2.87m.
Mt Eden was fourth, with a median townhouse value of $703,000 compared to a median value of $2.13m for houses.
Goodall said the data probably reflected how expensive houses were in those suburbs.
Cotality head of research Nick Goodall.Supplied / Cotality
“It’s also reflective of how expensive the land is in those suburbs because they’re close to town and land is more expensive the closer you get to town.
“So that gap widens for a townhouse which doesn’t necessarily get any or much use of land, it’s more about the structure itself. That’s why generally speaking you see a cap on the value of a townhouse.”
He said town houses had been staying on the market for longer and owners and developers had been having to drop their price more to sell during the period that the market had been softer.
Over the past 12 months, standalone houses had seen value falls of -0.7 percent, with -1.7 percent for townhouses, and -4.1 percent for apartments. But since the peak, the price of houses in Auckland was down 23.5 percent compared to 22.2 percent for townhouses and flats.
He said townhouses were a good option for people who wanted to get into the central suburbs and could not otherwise afford it.
“If a buyer is looking at their list of wants and needs and location is on there and that’s more important for a period of time, whether that’s five, seven, 10 years, until you might be thinking about having children or you need a bigger space … even for a young child it’s probably fine, it’s when you get to a bit older you might start thinking about [moving]. It’s all about age and stage and using it to build equity and all those things.”
While apartment values have tended to lag houses, Goodall said that would be less true of townhouses.
“They still seem to be doing pretty well through the cycle whereas with apartments it’s a bit different … you really have no apportionment of land … when you look at the 10 or 20 year performance apartments just do not see that same growth that houses would … with townhouses the difference is much less.”
He said the difference in price movement would be less in a “normal” period where there had not been so much building. “I think you will probably see houses perform better because they have more land and a lot of value is in the land … but townhouses are not completely devoid of it.”
Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub.
Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub agreed the difference was the land. “When you buy houses in New Zealand you’re buying the land. It’ s a land speculation engine, right? When you’ve got townhouses you don’t have a lot of land and also it comes with issues of shared title and whatnot.”
He said there would also be a price difference but it provided options and choices.
“Would I expect those prices to just converge to standalone house prices? No. Will the gap fluctuate over time? Of course.”
He said there could also be a range of quality within the townhouse market. “The concern I have is around the lowest cost to build, the designs are often not good for things like ventilation, noise – a lot of the houses built during the Covid period where inspections weren’t able to be done physically. We don’t know what kind of problems might be stored up there.
“The liveability and reliability are the two things that I worry a little bit about … a lot of that can be fixed by design which I think we will get to but there’ll be a cohort of people who will be in houses that are cheap to buy but uncomfortable to live in.”
The areas with the biggest decline in town house prices the past year were Omokoroa, Western Bay of Plenty, down 17.9 percent to $711,000; Whalers Gate New Plymouth, down 15.3 percent to $437,000; and Waihi Beach, down 14.7 percent to $782,000.
With changes to the assessments students face, do schools need to include typing lessons to give them all a fair start?Unsplash / Thomas Park
Should primary and intermediate schools teach children to type so they are ready for online exams at high school?
A Qualifications Authority report shows the Minister of Education Erica Stanford last year pondered whether to include touch-typing in the school curriculum because of the rise of digital tests and other forms of assessment.
“Does the description in the English learning area between years 4 and 8 give enough emphasis, direction, and detail to support students with the skills they need to type fluently in an online assessment? Should we be teaching students to touch type?” the document said she had asked.
The authority did not provide a direct answer, but its response appeared to be ‘no’ – sort of.
It advised the minister that students needed to be competent at using a keyboard, but they also needed “social emotional” as well as cognitive and technical skills.
“…students are likely to benefit from understanding and utilising basic computer skills, such as using software, browsing the web, and creating digital content,” it said.
It said key skills and knowledge included “competent keyboarding skills” and the ability to construct tables and spreadsheets, including simple formulas.
It also said students need to know how to use AI appropriately and effectively.
The report said key “digital fluency” areas included higher-order thinking skills, collaboration and communication, digital citizenship including cultural and global awareness, and adaptability and lifelong learning.
NZQA is increasingly making exams available in digital form, and the critical NCEA reading, writing and maths tests are offered online.
Principals have warned some students from poor communities are not as computer-literate as other students and struggle with online exams.
NZQA said just 293 secondary school students achieved the most basic unit standard in typing last year and 317 completed the next level up.
Teenagers spoken to by RNZ said they did a lot of their school work and assessments on computers and felt they had good keyboard skills.
They said they had not had formal typing lessons but such lessons might be useful for students before they reached secondary school.
Hutt Valley High School principal Denise Johnson said teenagers developed good keyboard skills through frequent use of computers.
She said many were a lot faster than adults who had formal typing lessons when they were at school.
Whangaparāoa College principal Steve McCracken said the ability to type quickly and accurately was a definite advantage for students sitting online tests.
“Exams and assessments are about the students’ ability to display their knowledge and what they’ve learned. So those students who are able to type… do have an advantage over those who are unable to type or who have never been taught to type properly,” he said.
Schools did not commonly teach typing, and it was assumed students would figure out for themselves how to use a keyboard competently, he said.
“Schools have kind of relinquished the typing classes that I was subjected to as a student back in the day. The curriculum’s so full that schools just don’t have the ability to teach the actual skills and fundamentals of the ability to type,” he said.
“It is assumed that it is done kind of naturally through other curriculum areas and particularly around the computing and technology curriculum area, but I don’t think it’s probably sufficient… particularly as we’re moving into high-stakes assessments.”
McCracken said it might be time to rethink how teens learned to type, but schools would need to drop things from their curriculum in order to make room for typing lessons.
He said he recently spoke to parents who arranged online typing courses for their children, which was a good idea, but it raised equity issues for those who could not afford to do the same.
Ultimately, however, exams should not be a test of students’ ability to type, McCracken said.
“We’re getting right down into the purpose of assessments and the ability to actually assess knowledge, rather than the skill of being able to type at pace whilst under that exam or pressure situation,” he said.
With the alleged attempted bombing at Perth’s Invasion Day protest now declared a terrorist act, the release of coronial findings into the Bondi Westfield stabbing, and ever-growing fears around hate crime and extremism, there’s a difficult question to grapple with: what is terrorism?.
An immediate answer is found in Australia’s legal definition. However, this was created back in 2002, and the global threat environment has since evolved many times over.
While organised terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State persist, the threat landscape is now variegated. There are neo-Nazis, incels, sovereign citizens and more on the horizon.
Lone actors are a particular challenge, as they do not always fit neatly into an ideological box. They can decide to act very quickly, and it can be difficult for agencies to know who they are and what level of risk they pose.
In response to this complex threat environment, the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Australia’s counter-terrorism law watchdog, is undertaking a landmark inquiry into Australia’s legal definition of terrorism. Is it still fit for purpose?
The current definition
Australia’s legal definition of terrorism is found in section 100.1 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It says conduct or a threat will qualify as a “terrorist act” if it satisfies these three requirements:
it is done to coerce or influence a government by intimidation, or intimidate a section of the public (intention requirement)
it is done for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause (motive requirement)
it causes or relates to some specified harm, including death, serious bodily injury, serious property damage, or serious risks to health or safety (harm requirement).
There is an exemption for protest, advocacy, dissent or industrial action that is intended only to cause serious property damage.
This definition was created in 2002, following the September 11 attacks in the United States by al-Qaeda the previous year.
At that time, Australia did not have any national counter-terrorism laws. Countries around the world were scrambling to enact them in line with a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
One country with laws already in place was the United Kingdom. Before September 11, the British Parliament enacted the Terrorism Act 2000, which was based on temporary and emergency powers used in Northern Ireland.
Australia and many other countries copied the UK’s definition in a rush. But we made some improvements, including the protest exemption.
More than two decades later, Australia’s definition of terrorism remains in its original form.
The starting point is the offence of committing a terrorist act. However, most prosecutions relate to various offences for support and preparation, which are triggered much earlier.
This definition also triggers special powers for surveillance, questioning, control orders, and preventative and continuing detention.
It even triggers powers unrelated to investigations. For example, in response to the Bondi terrorist attack in December last year, the NSW parliament enacted controversial new laws that allow the NSW police commissioner to ban protests for up to three months after a declared terrorist act.
Given the number and scope of these offences and powers, it is crucial we have the best possible definition of terrorism on the statute books.
Is the definition fit for purpose?
The independent monitor’s inquiry will be extensive and detailed. At the heart of it will be questions about whether the motive requirement – that terrorism be done to “advance a political, religious or ideological cause” – appropriately captures current threats.
This requirement has long been controversial, mostly because it includes the word “religious”, which is said to fuel harmful discrimination linking Islam and terrorism.
If the government removed religious motive from the definition, this would send an important signal that mainstream religion does not cause terrorism.
At the same time, it is doubtful how much a change to the legal wording would fix underlying community prejudices. More would be achieved by targeting problematic media reporting and expanding community education.
Another argument against the motive requirement is that it doesn’t account well for mixed, unstable or unclear threats. New Zealand recently amended its definition to say terrorism could be done “for one or more purposes”.
Australia’s wording doesn’t preclude there being multiple or mixed motives. However, a change along those lines would acknowledge the current threat environment.
A bigger issue is that the definition does not account for mass killings where ideology is unclear or absent.
This is where legal and community answers to the question “what is terrorism?” often diverge. The multiple stabbing attack in 2024 at Westfield Bondi Junction, for example, was not considered terrorism, even though it was a public mass killing that caused widespread community fear.
For those experiencing or witnessing the crisis and the wider community, there is little reason to distinguish that attack from terrorism. It makes no difference that the offender did not follow an ideology.
Legally speaking, however, there is a big difference between someone causing terror and someone intending to cause terror. Intention is a cornerstone of criminal law because it helps to determine moral responsibility.
Terrorism is fundamentally a communicative and ideological act. If someone does not intend to communicate a message beyond the attack itself or seek change in line with a belief system, it is not terrorism.
For similar reasons, pure hate is difficult to fit within the terrorism laws. Even if it causes serious harm, hate crime is not always driven by an identifiable set of beliefs.
Removing the motive requirement altogether would mean mass killings that are purely hate-filled or where the ideology is unclear could be prosecuted more easily as terrorism.
However, this would drastically expand what currently counts as terrorism. It risks diluting the meaning of the word so it is even less clear.
For more than two decades, the motive requirement has distinguished terrorism from crimes that do not advance a belief system. Without it, there would be even greater overlap and confusion about what constitutes terrorism, murder, hate crime and many other offences.
We will know more later in the year about how the independent monitor approaches this key challenge for Australian law.
Keiran Hardy receives funding from the Australian Research Council for a Discovery Project on conspiracy-fuelled extremism. He received consultancy funding from the office of the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor for a research report on definitions of terrorism for the inquiry mentioned in this article.
